Means for automatically adjusting car-brakes.



Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.,

JESSE A. RUBEL, OF SIOUXCITY, IOWA.

MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING CAR-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,380, dated July 5, 1904i Application filed pril 19,1904. Serial No. 204,010. (No model.)

F0 all whom it 771/04/ concern:

Be it known that I, J Esse A. RUBEL, a citizen of the United States, residing' at Sioux Oity, in the county ofVVoodward and. State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Automatically Adjusting' Car-Brakes, of which the following' is a specifieation.

This invention relates to improvements in means for automatically adjusting car-brakes; and it has for its object to provide a novel, simple, and thoroughly-efficient means whereby the brakes may be automatically adjusted during the act of applying the brake-shoes to the wheel to compensate for wear or other irregularity or to facilitate and expedite the original adjustment of the brake beams and shoes with relation to the wheels.

. To the end stated the invention consists in the novel arrangement of elements hereinafter set forth and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, illustrating what I reg'ard as the best known embodiment of my invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a bottom plan view showing' the position of the elements when Athe brake is off the wheel. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail bottom plan view illustrating the elements when the brake-shoes are in contact with the wheels. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the said drawings the reference-numer als 2 designate car-wheels, which may be the wheels of a four-wheeled truck or the front and rear wheels of a car, in connection with which my invention may be used.

The reference-numerals 3 designate brakebeams carrying the brake-shoes 4, and 5 designates equalizer bars or beams connected for cooperation by means of tie-rods 6.

Ailof the foregoing elements may be of any suitable known type', and my invention is not limited thereto.

Rigidly secured to one of the brake-beams is one member of an automatic brake-adjusti-ng beam,consisting of a plate 7, having a channel 8, in which is movably arranged another element of the adjusting mechanism consisting of a ratchet-bar 9. The plate 7 isi arranged in sliding engagement with the adjacent equalizer-beam 5 and has movement with respect to said beam in the operations 4of putting the brake onto the wheels and withdrawing the same therefrom. Said plate guided and confined in its movement in theillustrated example of my invention by a guide-abutment 10 of any suitable description arranged at one side thereof and by the hereinafter-re- `ferred-to dog 11 at the opposite side thereof.

A pawl 12 is pivoted to the plate 7 and arranged to cooperate with the teeth 9 of the ratchet-bar 9, being' held in engagement therewith by lneans of a suitable spring' 13. An operating-lever 14 is loosely connected at one end, as shown at 15, to the ratchet-bar, and at its other end is connected a pull rope, chain, or other contrivance 16. This operating-le ver is fulcrumed intermediate its ends in a bracket 17, carried by the equalizer-beam, and` togetherw with the ratchet-bar 9, is normally maintained in position to be actuated to apply the brake to the wheels by means of a suitable spring' 18. lThe plate 7 is provided with a series of ratchet-teeth 19, with `which the dog 11 engages, being held to its engagement by means of a suitable spring 20.

The dog 11 is pivoted to the equalizer-beam in such manner that it has limited movement with respect thereto under the impulse of the spring 20, so thatit may to a predetermined limited degree follow the movement of the sliding plate 7 toward and from the wheels for the purpose hereinafter described. The connection is by means of a pin 2l, engaging in an elongated slot 22 in the dog. Assuming the brakes to have been originally properly adjusted with relation to the wheels, the act of the operator in drawing upon the pull rope, chain, or other contrivance 16 causes the ratehetsbar 9 and through the medium of the dog 12 the plate 7 and. connected brake-beam 5 to vmove-toward the wheels until the shoes 4 engage the same with predetermined force toeiflciently brake. In this movement the dog 11 under the impulse of its spring20 and by reason of its movable connection with the equalizer-beam follows the movement of the plate 7, its nose being' in engagement with the proper tooth of the series of ratchets 19, with which said plate is provided.

When the pull IOO rope, chain, or similar contrivance 16 is released, the operating-lever is restored to its initial position and the ratchet-bar 9 is withdrawn to its initial position (see Fig. 1) by means of the spring 18, and the brake-shoes and brake-beam withdraw from engagement with ,the wheels in the usual manner, and the :onnected plate 7 assumes its initial position, illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings,) the dog l1 following said plate in this movement. By reason of the fact that the adjustment of the brake was proper the dog 11 will not have left its engagement with the particular tooth of the ratchet-bar 19 to which it was adjusted, and the dog 12 will engage the same tooth with which it was previously engaged, the various elements of the brake being now in position to be again actuated to apply the brakes. Assuming now that by reason of wear of the brake-shoe or other elements of the brake mechanism or by reason of some other irregularity the active faces of the shoes do not sustain the predetermined relation with respect to the wheels and the maintenance of which is desirable for accuracy of application of the brake, this condition is taken care of and the brake `mechanism automatically adjusted during the next act of applying the brake to the wheels in the following manner: The operator draws upon the pull rope, chain, or other suitable contrivance, causing the ratchet-bar 9, plate 7, and. connected brakebeam and brake-shoes to move toward the wheels until the shoes engage the wheels. During this action the dog 11 will follow the movement of the plate 7 until its limit of movement has been reached. The plate 7 will continue its movement and the nose of the dog 11 will ratchet over one or more teeth of the series 19, according to the necessities of the case, and rest in engagement with a different tooth of the series of teeth 19. I/Vhen the pull contrivance 16 is released, the brakeshoes will withdraw from the wheels as before, but will not move so great a distance therefrom by reason of the fact that the withdrawing movement is limited by the pin-andslot connection of the dog 11 tothe equalizer-bar 5. The nose of this dog being in engagement -with a different tooth of the series of teeth 19 and its movement being limited by the pin-and-slot connection, it serves i creased withdrawing movement of the plate 7 the dog 12 connected thereto will engage a different tooth of the series of teeth 9n of the bar 9. In this manner the brake is automatically adjusted with respect to the wheels of the car, vthe shoes having assumed a position nearer to said wheels to compensate for the wear of the shoes or other parts of the mechanism or other irregularity, so that upon the subsequent usualv draw of the operator vupon the pull device 16 the brakes will be `beams and shoes through the medium of the tie-rods 6 both sets of brake mechanisms will be simultaneously and correspondingly adjusted.

By my invention I provide a novel and simple means for automatically adjusting the brakes and one which is thoroughly efiicient in service.

I have in the drawings illustrated and in the foregoing specification specifically described the various details of arrangement and construction of elements, but wish it understood I do not restrict myself to the details set forth otherwise than as may be set forth in some of the following clauses of claim and then only for the purpose of those particular clauses.

My invention will be found of much value, furthermore, in the original setting or adjusting of the brakes. It is often found that it is a tedious time-consuming task to adjust the brakes originally in the proper relation to the wheels with nicety. This operation is much facilitated and expedited by my invention, as the workmen may set or adjust the brakes with approximate accuracy and then by drawing on the pull-rope or other device 16 in the manner hereinbefore explained the brakes IOC will be automatically adjusted into proper relation with the wheels of the car.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The combination with brake mechanism, of automatic brake-adjusting means comprising an element rigidly connected to a movable part of the brake, a second element, means arranged to connect said elements for movement in unison in the operation of applying the brake, and permit independent movement of said elements in the operation of releasing the brake, means for moving said elements in unison in the operation of applying the brake, means cooperatively arranged in relation to said first-named element, adapted, according to the degree of movement of said first-named element in the operation of applying the brake, to control the movement of said element in the operation of releasing the brake.

2. The combination with brake mechanism, of a brake-ad j usting means comprising a plate IIO rigidly connected to a movable part of the brake, a`ratchet-ba`r, a pavvl carried by said plate engaging said ratchet-bar, an operatinglever connected to said ratchet-bar for moving said bar and plate in unison in one direction, and a movably-mounted dog adapted to engage ratchet-teeth on said plate, substantially as described.

3. The combination With brake mechanism, of brake-adjusting means comprising a'plate rigidly attached to the brake-beam and provided with apavvl, a ratchet-bar provided with ratchet-teeth with which said paWl engages whereby said plate and bar may be moved in unison in one direction of movement, means for moving said bar and plate in such direction of movement, ratchet-teeth on said plate, and a movably-mounted dog in engagement With the ratchet-teeth on said plate, means for causing said dog to follow the movement of said plate Within a predetermined limit, said dog ratcheting over the teeth of said plate when the movement of the latter exceeds the limit of movement of said dog, substantially as described.` Y

4. In a brake mechanism, the combination with a brake-beam, brake-shoes and equalizing-bar, of a plate rigidly secured to the brakebeam and having' sliding movement with relation to the equaliZing-bar, a ratchet-bar, a pawl carried by said plate and adapted to engage the teeth of said bar, means for operat` ing said bar and plate to apply the brake, ratchet-teeth on said plate, adog movably mounted on the equalizingbar and engaging `the ratchet-teeth of said plate, and a spring connected to said dog and adapted to cause said dog to partake oi' the 'movement of the platein one direction and to yield to the movement of said plate in the other direction, sub-` stantially as described.

5. In brake mechanism, the combination with a bralie-bean'i, brake-shoes and equalizing-bar, of a plate rigidly attached to said brake-beam, a ratchet-bar, a paw] carried by said plate adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet-bar, means for actuating said ratchetbar and plate to apply the brake, means for restoring said ratchet-bar to initial position, a dog movably mounted on the equalizing-bar, and a spring connected to said dogadapted to cause it to partake of the motion of said plate in one direction and yield to the movement of said plate in the other direction, substantially as described.

6. In brake mechanism, the combination with a brake-beam, brake-shoes and equalizing-bar, of a plate rigidly attachedto said brake-beam, a ratchet-bar, a paivl carried by said plate adapted to engage the teeth of said i ratchet-bar, means for actuating said ratchetbar and plate to apply the brake, means for re-` storing said ratchet-bar to 1n1t1al position, a

dog having an elongated slot, a pin carried..

by the equalizing-bar arranged in said slot, and a spring connected to said dog adaptcdto cause it to partake of the motion of said plate in one direction and yield to themovement of said plate in the other direction, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing `vvitv .nasse annui..

Witnesses:

C. W. TAYLOR, M. C. BUTLER. 

